a few techniques for time management

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Journal of Business Management & Social Sciences Research (JBM&SSR) ISSN No: 2319-5614

Volume 1, No.3, December 2012

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www.borjournals.com Blue Ocean Research Journals 32

A Few Techniques for Time Management

Dr. Temesgen Belayneh Zerihun, Asst. Professor, Department of Marketing, College of Business and

Economics, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia.Dr.S.MURALI KRISHNA, Professor, Department of Management, College of Business and Economics,

Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia.

ABSTRACTTomorrow is always the busiest day of the week-Jonathon Lazear.

Lack of time is a common complaint in western society. In response, there has been a proliferation of books,

articles, and seminars on time management, along with their assertions, prescriptions and anecdotes. However,

what exactly is time management? Despite the epidemic of time management training programs, there is

currently a lack of agreement about the definition of time management and a dearth of literature summarizing

time management across disciplines. Furthermore, it has been argued that there is a lack of a theoretical model

of time management. Although self-report instruments purporting to examine time management exist in several

disciplines, to date, there has been no published psychometric review or comparison of these instruments for

assessing generic time management. Therefore, this article examines the different dimensions time management

to improve effectiveness and efficiency with in organizations.

Key Words:Money, Time, Management, Effectively, Efficiently

INTRODUCTIONWe all have 24 hours in a day. It does not matter inwhich part of the word we live, whatever is ourgender, whether we are professionals or non-professionals, we have 24 hours in a day. The

question is: How can we manage our time

effectively? Why some people achieve so much

within 24 hours and some people are stillstruggling? One of the answers, which come to our

mind-- Successful people manage their timeeffectively!How can we make our lives productive by better

time management? Do you often feeloverwhelmed by the amount of work you have todo? Or do you find yourself missing deadlines? Ordo you sometimes just forget to do something

important, so that people have to chase you to getwork done? All of these are symptoms of not

keeping a proper "To-Do List." To-Do Lists areprioritized lists of all the tasks that you need to

carry out. They list everything that you have to do,with the most important tasks at the top of the list,and the least important tasks at the bottom.

Whatever job you do, if you are in a managementor executive role, you will utilize a number ofresources. Men, Money, Materials, and Machine all are important. In any particular job, oneresource may predominate. But there is oneresource we all have in common: TIME. Inaddition, time is a hard taskmaster. Everyoneoccasionally experiences problems getting

everything done, and doing it all in the time

available. For some, such problems seemperpetually to exist to one degree or another; others

will admit to having moments when things seem toconspire to prevent work going as planned, and afew to living in a state of permanent chaos.

Who then needs to think about time management?

Everyone, potentially, can benefit from reviewing

how to manage their time effectively. In anyorganization many of the things that actuallycharacterize its very nature make proper timemanagement difficult: hierarchical structures,people, deadlines, paperwork, e-mail, computerproblems, meetings, pressures and interactions,both around the organization and externally; all

these and more can compound the problems.

This article aims to help solve the problems of timemanagement for all those working in executive ormanagerial positions within organizations, whethercommercial or otherwise, and who are charged

with getting things done and achieving results. Ifyou are in this category, even if you have alreadymade strenuous attempts to organize the way youwork, then you may pick up ideas that will helpyou achieve more. If you see yourself as having toomuch to do, if you have too little time in which todo it, if coping with the urgent means you never get

to all the important things on your list, and youwould like to be more organized and do not quite

know how to go about becoming so, then thisarticle is directed at you. If your desk is piled with

untidy heaps of paper, you are constantly subject tointerruptions, your deadlines are impossible and

you despair of ever being able to get your headabove water, then this article is definitely for you.
http://www.borjournals.com/http://www.borjournals.com/http://www.borjournals.com/


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Time management is not optional. It is somethingthat everyone who wants to work effectively mustconsider, whether formally or informally. In fact,virtually everyone practices time management tosome degree; the only question is how well they doit and how it affects what they do. Yet, timemanagement is not easy as you may have

noticed! Nor, even for those who work at it, is itsomething that anyone gets 100 per cent right. If

you think that is a rather ominous start to a book ontime management, there is worse to come. Theclassic author G K Chesterton wrote: TheChristian ideal has not been tried and foundwanting. It has been found difficult; and leftuntried. So too with time management: just

because it is difficult, the temptation can be todespair of ever making a real difference, and to

give up on it, letting things take their course andmuddling through somehow. To varying degrees,this temptation is often very strong.

What is Time Management?Time management has been described using manydifferent terms including spontaneity, balance,

flexibility, and having control over time (Lakein,1973). Time management has also beencharacterized as a habit developed only throughdetermination and practice (Simpson, 1978), asprioritizing and respecting those priorities (Soucie,1986), and as setting priorities and scheduling tasks

(Jordan et al., 1989). Time management can also beconsidered as the process by which an individual

more effectively accomplishes tasks and goals(Schuler, 1979), a process by which an individualobtains control over the timing and the content ofwhat he/she does (Oncken & Wass, 1985), and aswhat can be accomplished with time (Mackenzie,1972, 1975, 1990).In order to utilize time effectively, individuals must

first be able to predict how much time is needed forthe activity (Kelly, 2002). An individual will

become effective in using their time only when theindividual clearly knows what they want to do,

what they need to do, and for which specific targetdate (Soucie, 1986). Individuals need to becomemore disciplined in their use of time by respectingtheir established priorities while minimizing

distractions from others as well as from situationsthat have the ability to displace priorities in termsof time and energy (Soucie, 1986). According toCrutsinger (1994), time management involvesdetermining what one should do by setting goals,deciding which events are the most important andrealizing that other activities will have to bescheduled around them (prioritizing), makingdecisions about how much time to allow for certain

tasks (time estimation), adjusting to the unexpected(problem solving), reconsidering goals and

priorities on a regular basis (evaluation), and

observing patterns and trends in behavior.There is debate over exactly what skills and

behaviors constitute effective time management.For example, Shipman (1983) identified sixprinciples for effective time management. Theseprinciples included being aware of self,structuring time appropriately, setting goals and

priorities, increasing personal efficiency andeffectiveness, scheduling time for activity, and

scheduling relaxation time. Time management

behaviors have more recently been characterized asmaking lists, organizing, goal setting, keeping androutinely evaluating ones schedule, and breakingdown tasks into simpler parts (Kelly, 2002).Empirical research investigating the effects of timemanagement behavior has identified three broadclusters of behaviors. These behaviors include

setting goals and priorities, engaging in themechanics of time management, and having apreference for organization (Adams & Jex, 1999;Macan, 1994, 1996; Macan et al., 1990).

However, seven time management skills or

behaviors can be considered essential to effectivetime management due to their repetitive

prominence in the literature: (a) time analysis, (b)planning, (c) goal setting, (d) prioritizing, (e)scheduling, (f) organizing, and (g) establishing newand improved time habits (Barkas, 1984; FeenyJonson, 2002; Hellsten & Rogers, 2009; Jorde,1982; Lakein, 1973; Mackenzie, 1972, 1975, 1990;Morris, 2001; Woolfolk & Woolfolk, 1986).Although, time management documentation

activities such as making lists, writing down goals,and utilizing calendars have been identified bymany authors as necessary for effective timemanagement, they tend to cross all seven-skillareas.

Seven steps for setting priorities to

manage our timeWe cannot do everything in 24 hours. We have

certain priorities in life. Our family, our hobby, ourstudies, our professional education or any otheraspect of the career development, we have to set

priorities in life. Here are seven steps to setpriorities in life:

1. Decide exactly what we want.2. Write it down.3. Set a deadline for achieving our goal.4. List out what we must do to achieve our goal.5. Organize the list into a plan/ Execution of Plan.6. Take action on our plan immediately.7. Resolve to do something every day that movesus towards our major goal.

Thus, Proper Prior Planning Prevents PoorPerformance and saves time. There is a rule called


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80/20 rule It states that 20 percent of ouractivities produce 80 percent of results. What are afew activities, which produce most of the results inour lives? Three key questions, which we can askourselves to prioritize our work, include:

What are my highest value activities?

What can I and only I do that, if done

well, will make a real difference? What is the most valuable use of my

time right now?Do it right now as suggestedyou will beprofitable and will have time to.

Time wasters and its ManagementJust ask someone: Do you have time? Most

common answer: I am too busy. Sorry I do nothave time! As mentioned earlier, everyone has 24

hours in a day. No one has a minute more or aminute less. However, look around: We will findsome people achieve much more in same 24 hours.Why is it so? During our daily routine, we also setour priorities to complete XYZ tasks but at the end

of the day, we find ourselves still working on ourinitial to-do list, though we had a very busy day!

Here are seven major time wasters and a few tipson managing time effectively. Let us see if we arewasting time because of any one of them:

Telephone interruptions-Is it really necessary totake all calls when a phone is ringing?.......

Inability to say NoWe find it really difficult to

say No at times. At times, we do not know how torefuse.

Lack of self- discipline- Do we have ourobjectives in writing? Are we following our goals?

If we can set key result areas and focus to

achieve those areas, our efforts will pay off. If

we try to handle one task only once, we will havemore time.

Management by crisis-If we do not anticipate

problems in advance, we will be managing bycrisis. This is also called fire fighting in

management terms. It is said: Expect theunexpected and plan accordingly! If we try to plan

for unexpected, we will be in a position to managecrisis fast and effectively.

Ineffective delegation- At times, we want to doeverything ourselves.

Lots of paper work- Technology has made lifeeasy. Is it true? .If we organize our filing habit,

we can find our papers easily.

Socializing- Thanks to face book, email, andothers, we have lots of time to socialize!Socializing and networking is a good habit but notat the cost of wasting time. If we plan to obtaininformation on a systematic basis and try to controlour urge to log on to face book five or six times aday, we can focus on tasks on hand and do them

better / faster.

Seven time management tips for

managersManaging people takes time. It may take inefficientor ineffective managers longer to plan, supervise,

and evaluate someone elses work than to just dothe work themselves. The answer is not to fire thestaff. The answer is to manage them moreeffectively. Here are seven time management tips

that will help you do it.

I.Never Waste Their TimeDoes the sight of one of your workers standing idlethreaten you? If so, resist the temptation to assignbusy work just to keep your staff moving. Youwaste their time and your own. If it is a task that is

not important for you to be doing, it is notimportant for your staff either. You will also be

eroding their trust in you and your decisions. Theyknow it is busy work! Do not fill their time forthem. Show them what needs doing. Show themhow to do it. Make sure they have the tools they

need. Then get out of the way, but do notdisappear. You are interested in the results of their

work; ask for feedback, but not as a means tomicromanage. Do not interrupt them needlessly. If

one or more employees are continually idle, it maynot be their fault; they are either more efficient thanyou thought, or they just do not have enough workto keep them busy. Its time to reevaluate theirduties, but dont punish them for working hard oryour own poor planning.

II.Make Sure the Time Savers Are

Really Saving Their TimeMany of us have witnessed the introduction of anew business process, an improved method foraccomplishing some task. These improvements

often are part of a package purchased bymanagement from consultants who were retained tofind solutions to waste or inefficiencies. Typically,a simple task involving a form that captures aschedule or some repetitive action becomes a Webbased process. Now the information can bemanaged, combined, compared, analyzed, archived,and made accessible to anyone who wants it. The

price paid for the power this new process offers is

normally the extra time spent entering and editingthe data, applying the correct codes, and filling inall the required fields. Somewhere in the


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organization, someone benefits by having thisinformation in a new, accessible format, and for therest of us, well we are usually not given a choice.

As a manager, whose task is it to promulgatecompany policies, objecting to or resisting thesechanges? is not only a waste of effort, but also a

sure way to destroy your image as a team player. Ifyou have input in the decision-making process that

results in the adoption of new methods, it behoovesyou to raise the issue of time as a factor; too often,it is overlooked in the organizations zeal to reappromised rewards. If your staff needs to learn andimplement a system more cumbersome than thatused previously, your managers need to understand

and appreciate its effects on your teamsproductivity. It also helps your staff if they

understand the reasons for the change, particularlyif the benefits are not obvious to them.

III. Separate the Important from the

Merely Urgent for You r StaffFor your staff, as for yourself, you need todistinguish between truly important activities, thosethat serve the central mission, and the stuff thatseems to demand immediate attention withoutreally meriting it. Ask Why? for the phone callsand memos and e-mails demanding your staffs

immediate attention. Can you relieve some of thepressure and release your staffers for more

important work? And let them know you are ontheir side in reducing the busy work. Delegateinteresting assignments, ones that stretchimagination and creativity, and encourage personaland professional growth. Do you and your staffever engage in long-term planning, skills training,or needed conflict management? Alternatively, do

these things get lost in the daily clamor? You willnever find time to do these vital (but seldomurgent) activities with your staff. As a goodmanager, you must be sure to make the time. Asyou schedule these activities, youll find that staffbecomes better at managing their own time, more

mission oriented and future-thinking. You aretraining them to improve quality, not just quantity.

IV. Tell Them WhyWhy do I have to do this? If that question from astaffer feels like a threat to your authority, if youbecome defensive when you hear such a question,your staffers will learn to keep the questions tothemselves. But theyll still wonder. They have theright and the need to know the purpose of theirwork. When you ask them to do something, give

them a good reason. You will have a moremotivated and more efficient workforce if they

understand the goals and not just the process.

V. Allow Them Enough Time for the

TaskBe realistic in your demands. Never put ASAPon assignments- instead indicate a specific date that

assignments are to be completed. Do not overstuffthe staff. If you do, you will get shoddy work. Youmight even get less work. Even a conscientious,willing worker does not perform well underunreasonable pressure. In addition, you will gainthe reputation of being unreasonable. On longer

assignments, consult with your staff to determine areasonable due date.

VI. Encourage Them to Do One

Thing Well at a TimeWatch your staff at work. Are they on the phone,jotting notes, eyeing the computer screen, all while

trying to grab a fast sandwich? Getting a lot done?Probably not. And theyre probably not gettinganything done well. If your coworker is on thephone with a potential client, you want that

workers total attention on the task at hand, notthinking about the next project or the last project orthe work that isnt getting done. They will workfaster and better, with less need for clarificationduring or revision later.

VII. Have Productive Staff MeetingsAsk your staff to make a list of things they leastlike to do and chances are go to a meeting willrank right up there with take work home over theweekend. Most of us hate meetings, and withgood reason. We avoid them if we can, resent themwhen we cannot, and complain about them before,during, and after. That is because most meetingsare a waste of time, too often involving certain

individuals talking to hear themselves talk.However, you really do need staff meetings. Youcan create a productive interaction that just doesnot occur with memos or e-mails or phone calls orone-on-one conversations. People get a better graspof the whole operation. Names become faces, and

faces become individuals.

Conclusion and Managerial

ImplicationsMaking time management work is important to

everyone. At worst, the alternative is a life ofpermanent muddle, pressure and frustration not tomention the fact of actually achieving less than youwould want or believe possible. Therefore, thereare considerable advantages to getting to grips withthe process. To recap: principally, effectivemanagement of your time will allow you to:

Achieve greater productivity, efficiency

and effectiveness;


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Give more focus to your efforts and make anyparticular way of working, for examplecreativity, easier;

Be more likely to achieve your variousobjectives;

Be more likely to be able to develop the job longterm;

Get more satisfaction and enjoyment from whatyou do;

Find that home and family and jobresponsibilities fit better together.

These benefits incorporate many things, from fewermissed deadlines to more time for key projects andbetter relationships with the people working with or

for you in the organization. Further, because timemanagement affects results and efficiency so

directly, it can have a direct bearing on your careerprogress.

Thus, there certainly seem to be more thansufficient reasons to make it work for you. Some ofthe ideas that help seem very obvious and when

you take them up they quickly fit in, become habitsand work well without great effort. Other aspects ofthe process are, as we have seen, inevitably harder.At the end of the day, is time management reallysomething to bother about or is it just anothermanagement panacea, actually only taking up timethat could be better spent simply getting on anddoing the job? I firmly believe that it is not justworthwhile, but essential. I hope this article has

demonstrated that the time it takes to become betterorganized need not be prohibitive, indeed that, asgood habits develop, the techniques, tricks and,most important, the attitudes adopted, clearly paydividends. What makes it all work is not simplyhaving an understanding of the principles and

enough ideas, but the discipline and ultimately thehabit to make it stick as an overall way of working.

The results stemming from it have been stated.Even so, is the net effect worthwhile? I believe the

answer is certainly yes. It is one business techniquethat not only affects the organization through theindividuals job and the results it generates, butalso affects the individual your job satisfaction,

state of mind and general well-being. Becoming abetter time manager may take a commitment andneeds working at but as the saying has it, There isno such thing as a free lunch. Most worthwhilethings do need some investment of time and effort.This is no exception. It is no exaggeration to saythat good time management can change your lifequickly for the better and, if you foster the habits

involved, forever (or, more realistically, for the

remainder of your career).

Therefore, Organization and time management gotogether. Being well organized creates the righttime environment. Poor organization is insidious;everything takes just a little bit more time than it

should and this adds up day-by-day, inevitablyreducing effectiveness. To survive and prosper you

have to be productive, efficient and effective. Timemanagement is about working actively to createefficiency and effectiveness in a way that makesachieving your targeted results more likely.Success does not just happen. You make it happen.So be effective in your time management!

Success is a process, a quality of mind and way

of being, an outgoing affirmation of life- Alex

Noble

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